“Can I help you?” a woman’s voice asks.
Turning in her direction, I throw her a sexy, dimple-filled smile.
“I’m here to see Ember.”
The woman looks me up and down and shakes her head. “Of course, you are. No man looking like you is here to see me.” She waves her hand, inviting me to follow.
“Hey, doll face, you got a real looker here to see you,” the woman says.
“Who is it?” Ember asks as she opens the door. Her eyes fall on me, and her mouth falls open. “Ryder.”
“Hi, Ember.”
“What are you doing here?” she asks, her eyes unable to meet mine.
“We have unfinished business.”
“I thought my leaving would have finished things.”
“Not for me.”
The woman looks between the two of us, her gaze stopping on Ember.
“It’s fine. You can leave us alone.”
The woman nods and disappears behind the curtain, back into the bar.
Ember and I stand there waging a silent war, neither of us taking that first step. There’s just so much I have to say to her, and I don’t know where to start.
Ember breaks the silence. “How’s Amelia?”
“She’s coping. She misses you.”
“I miss her, too, so much.”
“Then why did you leave?” I blurt out, desperate not only to know but to be able to figure out how to fix it.
“You know why I left, Ryder, and if you’re honest with yourself, you know it’s for the best.”
“Really? Because the hole in my wall says otherwise. So do the tears I constantly have to wipe off Amelia’s face.”
“Don’t. Don’t make me feel bad about this. I did the right thing.”
“I hate to break it to you, baby, but there is nothing right about us being apart. I love you, Ember.”
“I love you, too, but sometimes… sometimes, love just isn’t enough.”
“Hey, Em, you ready to go?”
I turn around to see Rick.
“Ryder.”
“Hi, Rick.”
“Ember, don’t forget Mick’s going to be here tonight for the show, and we’ll sign the addendum to the contract after,” Rick tells her.
“Got it. Thanks, Rick.”